Aquaculture 2008

In 2008 the total amount of food fish cultured in Finland was about 13.4 million kilograms. The total production was almost the same than in 2007 but the value of food fish production (42.1 million €) decreased slightly. The fish supplied for food fish consisted of 12.6 million kilograms of rainbow trout and about 0.7 million kilograms of whitefish.

In addition to food fish, fish culture produces fry, both for stocking and further rearing, in 2008 altogether 72 million individuals. The production of rainbow trout fry was about 27 million individuals. Rainbow trout fry were supplied almost exclusively for food fish farming. In fish farms also Baltic salmon (3.3 million individuals), landlocked salmon (0.2 million individuals), brown trout (2,6 million individuals), sea trout (2,0 million individuals) and char and brook trout fry (0.2 million individuals) were produced. Approximately 86 % of the salmon and trout fry production was supplied for stocking purposes.

The total production of whitefish fingerlings was 24.7 million individuals. About 2.5 million individuals of whitefish were supplied for further food fish cultivation. In natural food ponds after whitefish the next largest were pike perch (9.5 million indiv.) and grayling (1.7 million indiv.) productions, which were almost exclusively supplied for stocking purposes. The total production of whitefish increased slightly but the production of pike perch and grayling was at the previous year’s level. The fry production of signal crayfish was about 47 000 and that of the noble crayfish about 19 000 individuals.

In 2008 altogether 508 fish farms and enterprises with natural food ponds were in operation. Of these, 198 farms operated in food fish production and 102 farms concentrated on fry production. Part of the farms represented both production lines. The number of farmers with natural food ponds was 220.